Letters: Adieu, Ratan Tata

This refers to the editorial “An illustrious career” ( December 28). The house of Tatas is different from any other conglomerate in India, and both J R D Tata and Ratan Tata have ably demonstrated the reason. Let us accept that in any country, and particularly in India, doing business – and that too in many of our states with different political parties in power – is a tough proposition. Ratan Tata may have taken some time to prove his capabilities but he succeeded in establishing himself as an outstanding chairman. Indian cars like Indica and Nano must be considered emblems of national pride, even while accepting that the Tata cars are not perfect. In this connection, let us not forget consumer activist Ralph Nader’s well-known comment (“unsafe at any price”) about American cars. It is difficult to predict the future of the Tata empire under its new chairman Cyrus Mistry. But he will definitely try to maintain the reputation of the group.